Spring means business. Trees bud, grass turns green and weeds make an appearance. The ability to accurately identify weeds and understand their life cycle is key to determining the best control methods.

While many weeds are regional, crabgrass is a weed that plagues the entire country. Crabgrass, a summer annual, can be identified by its smooth pointed leaf blades and often forms patches in lawns. Plants can grow together to form large clumps. It is easily mistaken for bermudagrass, tall fescue or goosegrass.

Knowing when crabgrass will be present in a specific region aids in proper identification and control. Crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures are consistently 50 to 55 degrees at a depth of 2 inches. Heat accumulation or growing degree days are a great way to estimate soil temperatures. Pro tip: You can obtain customized weather-based alerts for your location by using a Growing Degree Days Calculator.

In many parts of the country, forsythia in bloom is the first sign that crabgrass is germinating. Depending on the region and seasonal temperatures, crabgrass may begin germinating as early as February through May, and will continue to grow through August.

Application flexibility

Crabgrass is most effectively controlled by using a preemergence herbicide, which works by inhibiting the establishment of young seedlings. To be effective, however, preemergence herbicides must be in place before germination occurs, allowing the herbicide to form a barrier before the crabgrass seedlings emerge.

“Applying a preemergence herbicide such as Dimension specialty herbicide prior to crabgrass germination will optimize performance,” Jamie Breuninger, technical leader for Dow AgroSciences Turf and Ornamental, said. “Dimension will control what is germinating and will put a barrier down to prevent future growth.”

Dimension® specialty herbicide offers excellent preemergence and early postemergence control of crabgrass in established lawns; golf course fairways, roughs and tee boxes; and commercial sod farms.

Early postemergence crabgrass control also is obtained when Dimension is applied prior to tillering of crabgrass (up to five leaves), typically corresponding to the time when crabgrass seedlings are first observed in turfgrass. Dimension also provides noticeable control of crabgrass treated at the start of tillering. Depending on climatic conditions and rate of growth, the time from crabgrass emergence until tillering will vary from two to eight weeks.

The benefit of this product’s early postemergence activity is to provide you with a longer window of application to achieve crabgrass control, allowing you more time to make crabgrass applications.

Other important factors

Crabgrass grows relatively slow until the weather warms up, but once warm temperatures become consistent, crabgrass germinates quickly. It competes vigorously with desirable grasses, and if the grass is cut too short, it can increase competition between grass and weeds.

“Higher mowing heights create a dense canopy, which aids in performance because the turf will shade the crabgrass and prevent it from growing,” Breuninger said.

Dimension® 2EW specialty herbicide should be applied with a sufficient volume of water carrier to provide a uniform spray distribution.

“Ideally, the best time to apply Dimension 2EW is when it’s raining or rain is predicted,” Breuninger said. “The active ingredient moves to the soil surface more quickly.”

Granular treatments do not require immediate watering; however, best results are obtained if irrigation or rainfall occurs within seven days of application.

State restrictions on the sale and use of Dimension specialty herbicide products apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.

Bringing new products to the market requires a lot of research and development, time and money. Our turf and ornamental team puts themselves in the shoes of the golf course superintendents. “We look at everything from the end-user perspective,” Jamie Breuninger, technical leader for Dow AgroSciences Turf and Ornamental division, said. “When superintendents tell us they have a specific problem, we’re out there trying to solve that problem.”

Head over to Superintendent for the full article and to be among the first to know what products we’re launching in 2018.

Spring can’t come soon enough for much of the country that endures long winters. However, lawn care operators (LCOs) are not awoken with the sound of birds chirping but rather a throbbing headache and a need to race against the clock – or more accurately – to race against Mother Nature.

“There is a lot of pressure on LCOs to get those first fertilizer and preemergence applications of the season made before the crabgrass germinates,” Jamie Breuninger, technical leader for Dow AgroSciences, said. “The window of opportunity is slim, and they need to get to all their customers before the weather warms and the phone starts ringing with customers complaining about weeds.”

Pressure continues to build as the next big weed to make an appearance is likely the most dreaded of all — the dandelion. With its conspicuous bright-yellow blossom, it is one of the most hated by homeowners nationwide.

According to recent research conducted by Jefferson Davis, once a customer calls a lawn care company to complain, the likelihood the customer will cancel the service is more than 45 percent1 — even if the lawn care company comes out to re-treat.

Timing is everything

Timing of the first application of the season is critical. For effective preemergence control, LCOs need to make that first application in the spring before weeds begin to germinate. So, while they’re racing to get the first applications made to provide their customers’ lawns with a quick greenup and prevent crabgrass, dandelion, chickweed and clover, which have overwintered, are just waiting to bloom.

A new tool

There are many effective products on the market to control dandelions, but they typically should be applied later in spring or summer when the temperatures rise and the weeds are actively growing. What if there was a way to treat dandelion, as well as clover and other annual and perennial weeds, during the first applications of the season? Defendor® specialty herbicide is most effective when applied early in the season before dandelion and clover bloom.

“Defendor acts somewhat like a growth regulator when applied pre-bloom, because it stops the emergence of the dandelion seed head while the herbicide slowly controls the plant,” Breuninger explained. “The end result keeps the declining weed below mower height and nearly invisible to the homeowner. This weed often has a large taproot, so a second application in round two may be needed for total control, but this gives the LCOs more time to control them without ever going to flower.”

Defendor, with the active ingredient florasulam, is a liquid postemergence herbicide that can be tank-mixed with Dimension® 2EW specialty herbicide and applied at the same time your customers are putting down the first fertilizer and preemergence crabgrass applications of the season. The combination can be used on both cool- and warm-season grasses.

“The fact that there aren’t yellow blooms and seed heads covering their lawns greatly increases homeowner satisfaction with their lawn service company,” Breuninger said. “And it buys them more time to finish up the first application and come back with the postemergence second application.”

1Jefferson Davis 2012

State restrictions on the sale and use of Defendor and Dimension 2EW apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is a perennial that grows best in moist areas with full sun or partial shade, and compacted soil. The broad, oval-shaped leaves have three to five prominent parallel veins and are attached to the root system by a fibrous celery-shaped plant. The upright flowering stalk terminates in a long cylindrical spike head that can range from two to six inches in length. This weed produces a fairly weak root system. Buds grow from the uppermost area of the root, producing a crown that can regenerate “new” plants even when the plant is cut off at or below the soil surface. There are no true stems; rather, the leaves are clustered in a rosette at the base of the plant.

Help your customers control broadleaf plantain with Confront® specialty herbicide or Turflon® Ester Ultra specialty herbicide. For your commercial accounts, recommend Confront to provide postemergence broad-spectrum weed control in established cool- and warm-season nonresidential turfgrasses. Turflon Ester Ultra can be used on commercial and residential sites to control actively growing weeds in ornamental turf. Broadleaf plantain is more easily controlled when applications are made to younger plants in the early spring.

Confront is not for sale or use in Nassau and Suffolk counties, New York. State restrictions on the sale and use of Confront and Turflon Ester Ultra apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.

In turf and landscape, Dimension® specialty herbicide provides preemergence control of more than 45 annual grassy and broadleaf weeds, including crabgrass, goosegrass, spurge, bittercress and Poa annua, as well as early postemergence control of crabgrass. The multiple formulations of Dimension include the water based Dimension 2EW with labeled tolerance on more than 440 landscape ornamentals. It also has demonstrated excellent tolerance to all major turfgrass species, making it an ideal wall-to-wall formulation for weed control. The formulations of Dimension won’t leave turf, equipment or surroundings stained yellow.

Gallery® specialty herbicide is one of the few selective preemergence herbicides that prevent the growth of broadleaf weeds for up to eight months. Gallery demonstrates excellent plant tolerance on all established cool- and warm-season turfgrasses, and can be used on more than 700 landscape ornamentals, groundcovers, perennials and noncrop areas. It can be applied in the spring or fall for season-long control, stopping weeds early to eliminate or reduce the need for postemergence applications. One application of Gallery will control more than 95 broadleaf weed species, including black medic, chickweed, clover, dandelion, oxalis and spurge.

Snapshot® specialty herbicide offers proven control of more than 125 species of broadleaf and grassy weeds, and minimizes the need for hand-weeding. Snapshot also is labeled for use on more than 635 landscape ornamentals — more than any other granular preemergence herbicide. It has excellent tolerance on established plants and proven, long-lasting broad-spectrum weed control. Snapshot can be applied in early spring prior to germination of target weeds, and in late summer to early fall or immediately after cultivation, in addition to providing up to eight months of control. The convenient granular formulation of Snapshot bonds tightly with soil particles, and the low water solubility holds it within the application zone.

State restrictions on the sale and use of Dimension specialty herbicide products, and Snapshot apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.

Large hop clover (Trifolium campestre) and black medic (Medicago lupulina) are often confused as a result of their similar yellow flowers. Learn how to differentiate the two with these helpful identification tips.

Treatment recommendations for large hop clover and black medic: Apply a postemergence herbicide, such as Defendor® specialty herbicide, when the plants are young and actively growing. Black medic and clover species are particularly susceptible to products containing florasulam, the active ingredient in Defendor. Because Defendor works well in cooler temperatures, time your application in early spring or fall.

State restrictions on the sale and use of Defendor apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details.

Earning cash back is easy with the Power of More™ Reward Club. Lawn care operators, golf course superintendents and nursery operators simply purchase the Dow AgroSciences products they need when they need them, and submit receipts for rebates throughout the year. Lawn care and nursery customers who order early have the opportunity to receive additional savings October through December.

The Power of More Reward Club includes more than 50 Dow AgroSciences products and products containing Dow AgroSciences active ingredients, including formulator brands and on-fertilizer formulations.

“The Power of More Reward Club is designed to help make our customers’ lives easier,” says Karan Bansal, product manager with Dow AgroSciences Turf & Ornamental. “There are no season packs or preselected bundles required. Our customers have the freedom to decide.”

The 2017-18 Power of More Reward Club program kicks off Oct. 1, 2017, and runs through Sept. 30, 2018. Completed rebate forms and invoices must be submitted by Jan. 15, 2018, to receive a check in March or submitted by Oct. 30, 2018, to receive a check in December. Products, program guidelines and submission forms are available at MyPowerofMore.com. Customers can contact their local distributor sales representative or a Dow AgroSciences sales representative for more information.

®™DOW Diamond and the Power of More Reward Club are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Always read and follow label directions.

Did you know that fall is the perfect time to treat for spring weeds? Summer herbicide applications have likely burned down top growth, but weeds will reappear once air and soil temperatures start to drop. With warm days and cool nights, weeds begin to store energy and send it to the crown and roots — and the herbicide moves with it, making it an ideal time for application. Many annuals and perennials will be present in the turf during this time, giving you the perfect opportunity to attack a broad spectrum of weeds. Follow these handy steps to create a fall weed control plan:

Identify problem weeds. Don’t waste time and money trying to control the wrong weeds. It’s important to know your offenders ahead of time. Here are some weeds you can target with a fall application:

Winter annuals, including chickweed, henbit and speedwell. They germinate in late summer and fall, survive through the winter and produce seed in the spring.

Perennial weeds, such as dandelion, white clover and broadleaf plantain. They live for more than two years and reproduce by seed and the spread of vegetative parts. It is best to use systemic herbicides as they control the plant — roots and all.

Note weed hot spots. Identify the places where you’ve had difficulties in the past. These weak spots will indicate when you should start your broadleaf weed control program in the fall.

Select the proper herbicide. If you make your application prior to germination, you’ll want to use a preemergence herbicide, such as Dimension® or Gallery® specialty herbicide. Gallery prevents broadleaf weeds that germinate in the fall, winter and spring. Dimension controls crabgrass and other grassy weeds. In the North, lawn care operators can make preemergence applications as early as Labor Day. In warmer climates, they can apply as late as October.

If you are targeting perennials or weeds that have already germinated, try Defendor®specialty herbicide, a postemergence herbicide that works at preemergence timing. When applied in late fall or early spring, it will eliminate plant growth and prevent bloom.

Determine application timing. This step gives you your application window for the most effective control. Preemergence herbicides should be applied two weeks prior to weed seed germination. If you are using a postemergence herbicide, such as Defendor, you can make applications into late November.

State restrictions on the sale and use of Defendor and Dimension specialty herbicide products apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.

Fall is an excellent time to treat ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) — a prostrate creeping perennial commonly found in moist, shaded turf. Known for its rounded, scalloped leaves and small funnel-shaped purple flowers, ground ivy can be difficult to control.

What to look for: Creeping stems several feet long; scalloped leaves; small purple flowersLife cycle: Cool-season perennial; grows in spring, summer and fallLeaves: Round and scalloped; grow on a long stalkFlowers: Funnel-shaped, purple, grow in clusters; bloom in early springRoots: Grow from nodes at creeping stemsLook-alikes: Various violets, creeping bellflowerCommonly found: Sites with poor drainage; sun or shadeTreatment recommendations: Apply a postemergence herbicide, such as Turflon® Ester Ultra specialty herbicide, in fall or spring once the weed is actively growing. Products containing triclopyr, the active ingredient in Turflon Ester Ultra, have proven to be highly effective in fall or spring — more effective than 2,4-D-based products during the difficult summer period. Alleviate shade, wet soil and poor fertility to help maintain control.

State restrictions on the sale and use of Turflon Ester Ultra apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details.

White clover is a perennial that grows in spring and summer. Known for its low-growing behavior and ability to thrive in moist soils, it is common in lawns across the country. Look for elliptical, toothed leaves growing in groups of three, as well as pinkish flower clusters that grow from long stems. Check out this video for more identification tips and take control of clover.